respect Kobe's bravery, but let's be realistic

and so the usually-savvy, ultra-cool Kobe Bryant has made a boo-boo which i suspect he sincerely believes in.

a member of one Olympic gold-medal team and going to his second Olympics -- after withdrawing in 2000 and 2004 -- the future HOFer claims the lineup heading to London is better than the Dream Team of 1992.

better than these jolly old fellas? you must be dreaming.

Kobe has slightly retreated from that stand, saying that maybe his current squad can't win a seven-game series but can in one game. the general public though aren't interested in details and have roundly criticised the LA Lakers guard.

Sir Charles Barkley and His Airness Michael Jordan were the first to fire their retorts, not too aggressively, both "laughing" at the suggestion.

1993's MVP Barkley believes the Dream Team would not just win, but by double digits. he further taunted that only LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe himself would make the cut in 1992.

Jordan said, "For him to compare is not one of the smarter things he ever could have done.

"Remember now, they learned from us. We didn't learn from them.

"When they get 11 Hall of Famers, you call and ask me again."

a bit of arrogance, but a lot of sense.

the Dream Team's 12 players have 11 inducted into the sport's Hall of Fame. they beat every team at Barcelona by at least 32 points, and that only happened in the gold-medal game. their overall winning margin was 43.7 points.

there are critics who now say even the Redeem Team of 2008 is better than the current. that one featured Dwyane Wade and NBA's best centre Dwight Howard. this time, they and last year's MVP Derrick Rose are missing.

Blake Griffin (no.14) has been replaced by college grad Anthony Davis. go imagine.

one of Kobe's reasons is the Dream Team was "too old", but he is flat wrong. the majority were in their late 20s, in their prime. only Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were retiring.

Kobe himself will be 34 next month.

it is true the current roster look more athletic -- LeBron and Durant will be a handful in any generation -- and quick -- Russell Westbrook and Andre Iguodala are high-intensity players.

this is probably the Dream Team's one true weakness. but the Dream Team was also built on a defence probably unrivalled in history.

sharing a combined 24 All-Defensive First Team selections, Jordan, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson and Karl Malone were all no-nonsense defenders capable of shutting down anyone.

Team USA 2012 may have outside shooting in Kobe, Durant, Deron Williams and James Harden, but the Dream Team had Larry Bird -- twice 50-40-90 -- and fellow sharpshooter Chris Mullin.

whether seven games or one, the Dream Team's experience to come up big will define them. at the time of the Barcelona Games, they had already played almost 200 more playoff games than the current one; they possessed 12 rings compared to seven; in the remote scenario it goes to clutch, Kobe and Durant can take the final shot but what if you're facing Magic, Larry Legend, Chuck and MJ? who do you guard?

yet for me, what really set the Dream Team apart was one crucial characteristic people forget -- in the world of pro basketball, an egoistic go-to man is common, but the '92 collection of superstars managed to put 'team' above 'individual', personal stats below completely bamboozling opponents. Chuck, of all people, led the team in scoring, with just a mellow 18 points per game.

six-time NBA champion Pippen believes his class can beat 2012's squad by 25 points. three-time MVP Bird was shrewd, "They probably could [beat us]. I haven't played in 20 years and we're all old now."

Point Guard

Magic Johnson, John Stockton vs Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Russell Westbrook

whatever Paul, Deron and Westbrook can conjure, assist-and-steal phenom Stockton can in his sleep. i won't discuss Magic.

Shooting Guard

Michael Jordan, Clyde Drexler, Chris Mullin vs Kobe Bryant, James Harden

the most fascinating matchup, but Jordan's GOAT.

Small Forward

Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen vs LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Andre Iguodala

on any other day, LeBron can claim to be the best. Pippen will give LBJ a run for his money, but right now, Bird is still ahead.

Power Forward

Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Christian Laettner vs Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis

the Barkley-Malone one-two punch more than makes up for Durant's superpowers.

Centre

Patrick Ewing, David Robinson vs Tyson Chandler, Kevin Love

the most lopsided contest. Ewing and Robinson are legends. Chandler meanwhile has had two okay seasons. Love is getting there, but not quite there.